Morning Musume in 2008. Starts to spread its wings to the world.

In 2008, Morning Musume。 Morning Musume had always had many good-looking songs, but they raised the bar and changed the angle of their songs to show the bottom line of their coolness.
It was the period when Morning Musume showed their ability to not only be cute but also good looking.
This was the first year without any graduation or addition of new members since their debut.
The group also made a splash with their cover of a Japanese song.

The 36th SINGLE [Resonant Blue] released on April 16, 2008

This is a song that is always a hit at the current live performances of 2021, but I believe that the members of this time are the best to perform this combination.
The current performance is also the best, but there are times when the original members sometimes perform it, and when I saw it, I thought “I knew it was the original”.
Members Takahashi Ai, Tanaka Reina, and Kusumi Koharu are the main members, and Niigaki Risa and Kamei Eri are in supporting positions.
Sayumi Michishige is in charge of shouting, and Aika Mitsui, Junjun, and Rinrin are in unison.
After this song, the era of “Takahashi Ai” and “Tanaka Reina” as the two top singers continued.
During the dance interlude of this song, the audience calls out “O-O-O-O-O”, which is a very pleasant part of the song that can only be experienced at a live performance, and I hope many people will shout it.
The CD was released in Korea and Taiwan, and concerts were held as well.

The spring tour included only single songs in the set list and all 36 songs were performed throughout the country.
From their debut song “Morning Coffee” to their latest songs.
The highlight of this concert was the medley of songs performed on stage in a concert hall, and I believe this was the only time before and after the concert that multiple quick changes were performed on the set.
I definitely want people to see it, and I hope the current Morning Musume。 I would like to see Morning Musume。
Morning Musume。 I want the world to know about this concert as well.

And again this summer, a musical in collaboration with Takarazuka was held at the Shinjuku Koma Theater.
The musical was performed in collaboration with Morning Musume。 Ai Takahashi’s dream of joining Takarazuka came true again.
The costumes were made to Takarazuka’s specifications, and she said they were very comfortable.
The Shinjuku Koma Theater is no longer there, but is now the Toho Building. It is the building where Godzilla is now. You can feel the age of the building.

37thSINGLE released on September 24, 2008 [Inspector Pepper].

Morning Musume・Musume・San’s cover of Pink Lady’s representative song became a big hit. Morning Musume・・・’s cover of Pink Lady’s most famous song became a big topic of conversation.
The song reached No. 3 on the Oricon Weekly Chart, breaking Pink Lady’s previous record.
The coupling song is Hiromi Iwasaki’s “Romance.
The choreography of “Inspector Pepper” is based on the original song, but with a lot of people, so the dance moves are very attractive!
This one was released as an advance single for the next album, which is why the cover song was released later.
Morning Musume。 The arrangement by Sayumi Michishige at the end of the song, “It’s Inspector Pepper,” is innovative and full of idol-like atmosphere!

Cover album released on November 26, 2008 [COVER you］

This is Morning Musume。 This is Morning Musume。’s first cover album, and all the songs are composed by Yuu Aku.
The album includes songs such as “Dondemo tomatama”, “UFO”, “Koi no dial 6700”, etc. The song “Izakaya” is a duet between Hiroshi Itsuki and Ai Takahashi.
And the song “Izakaya” is a duet of Mr. Hiroshi Itsuki and Ms. Ai Takahashi.
Unfortunately, this album was not a hit, so there may not be many people who know about it, but there are many people who prefer Showa-era songs in the 2025 era, and I hope they will find it.
I would like them to find it. The songs are sung by Morning Musume・Musume・San, so there is a lot to listen to.

The year ended with the fall tour, and while the previous concert focused mainly on songs from the past, the current songs were the main focus of the performance this time.
I think that the performance “echoed” the title of the songs such as “Resonant Blue” sung from the bottom of the stomach and “Guru Guru JUMP” which will be released later as an album song.
The live performance can only be conveyed on video!

Morning Musume。 It was also the year that Morning Musume。’s TV exposure started to decrease and they started to put more effort into their live performances.
People may think that I did not do well, but this was the year I was able to perform overseas, and this was also the year my CD was released outside of Japan. So I think it was a year of new challenges.